


A Haunting at Arcane Emporium

by eiyria



Category: Alex Verus Series - Benedict Jacka
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Halloween, Haunted Hotel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2020-12-07 12:53:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20976206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiyria/pseuds/eiyria
Summary: Squeezed cozily between two buildings sits an old antiquated hotel called Arcane Emporium. It is often overlooked, but every now an again a new guest checks in for the night. However, it is anything but typical. Rumors are that it is home to flickering lights, strange specters, a maze of hallways that watch you, a poltergeist, a giant human sized spider. A haunted house by all definitions.





	1. Chapter 1

An old hotel sat nestled against two buildings, just as large; on a quiet, often unnoticed street. Night was falling, and the encroaching darkness began to hide the fact that the hotel’s walls were dirty and darkened by time and grime. Rain pounded against the glass windows of the ancient hotel and lightning flashed.

Inside, a lanky, angular man with dark hair sat at a desk, underneath a dim light. On the desk was a cash register, an array of pens, several large binders filled with paper, and a variety of small misplaced objects. One of the binders was open, as the man’s right hand held a pen which hovered over an unfinished sentence. In his left hand was a reddish cube that he eyed attentively, and turned slowly in his fingers. From the look on this man’s face, one would think he almost expected a reaction of some sort from the small simple cube. The man’s name was Alex Verus, and he was the general manager of the haunted hotel Arcane-Emporium.

The sound of the main door opening echoed in the entry way, and made Alex’s gaze raise to greet the new arrival’s. He saw a thin figure draped in a soaking yellow rain jacket. Rain water dripped off the person and splattered, making a puddle on the floor. The stranger threw back its hood, revealing a young woman with wavy pig-tailed brown hair, currently matted against her head. She looked damp and cold.

Alex slowly put down the reddish cube with care, and closed the binder he had been writing in. “Welcome,” he said – and his voice echoed throughout the entry way. “How can I help you?”

“Hi,” the young woman spoke softly as she started walking towards the desk, her two heavy looking bags thrumming against her legs as she walked. “I – um – don’t have a reservation,” her voice sounded unsure, “But do you have any availability?”  
  
Alex shuffled the binders on his desk, flipping a blue binder open to reveal the registry for that night, and replied, “We do.”  
  
The young woman gave an uncomfortable laugh and muttered under her breath, “Pen and paper, how old school.”

Alex looked away from the binder’s contents in response to her comment. Her mouth made an ‘O’ shape, and Alex got the impression that she hadn’t meant to say those words out loud. He smiled his best customer service smile he could muster, and replied politely, “A bit. We had a computer system for a while, but this building is very old. The architecture and wiring is from a different century, so it doesn’t play well with modern electronics. We accept credit cards, but it takes a long time and service is spotty at best.” The young woman’s face relaxed a little. To put her further at ease, Alex added, “It’s a common question. You’d be surprised how many people ask.” When she smiled, Alex changed the subject, “Anyways, you needed a room. Can I get your name, number, and see some form of ID?”

The rain-jacket clad woman fished for her purse, replying as she did, “Luna Mancuso” and rattled off her phone number. She finished rummaging through her bag and handed the man her ID. He took it, and started writing her information into the registry. The two exchanged payment information and he gave her information on when breakfast hours were.  
  
Finally Alex’s put the pen down and stood up from his chair. He turned around, faced a grid of numbered pegs, and grabbed a room key from a peg labeled ‘11’. “I’ve put you in room 11. It is on the second floor, has a queen sized bed, and a garden tub.” He handed her the key ring. “If you leave your bags here, I can have someone bring them upstairs for you.”

She took the keys from him delicately, as if she was careful not to touch his skin. “That’s alright,” she replied, “I’ll manage on my own.” She shifted her weight, and hoisted her bags up and headed in the direction of the stairs.

Once she was out of sight; something large, black, and bulky descended, scuttling, into Alex’s peripheral vision. Alex turned towards the new arrival, his face setting seriously. “Arachne,” he spoke, “It seems your services are unnecessary for our latest guest.”   
  
The large body scurried into the light, revealing a human sized spider with eight eyes and eight horrifying legs - straight out of a nightmare. The creature spoke, “I admire her self sufficiency. But, it seems less and less people need bell-boys these days. Sometimes I fear a time when I’m no longer needed in this world.”  
  
Alex gave her a patient look, “Arachne, you’re being dramatic, and besides, you’ll always have a home here.” He looked back in the direction of the elevator. “I worry about our new guest though. Business isn’t doing well – and we need more regular patrons. This hotel doesn’t really do repeat guests as much as I’d like. I hope she’ll manage,” he motioned around at the hotel, “Until dawn.”

“You’re not giving her enough credit,” the giant spider replied, “She’s stronger and more special than she looks. If anything, she might fit in around here.”

Alex shot her an incredulous look, and spocked a questioning eyebrow.

* * *

Luna was a young woman, in her early twenties, and depending on how you viewed her situation, extremely unlucky. Unlike her contemporaries, Luna believed in curses, magic, and monsters. She had a very good reason to do so as well. From a young age, she’d known she was cursed. And it wasn’t something she could chalk up to sheer clumsiness; people around her died. Sometimes, one touch, one brushed shoulder while walking on the side walk, was enough. She’d watched more people than she could count on both hands - die. A car crash here, a falling beam there, a simple trip on a crack – planting them headfirst on the cement. The only commonality between them was coming in contact with her mere moments before. And at their expense Luna always encountered some form of luck.

Even with her knowledge of the things-that-went-bump-in-the-night, when she arrived on the second floor, she didn’t even give the flickering lights in the hallway a second thought. _**Faulty wiring**_, she thought to herself. _**That’s what the man at the desk had said**_.

She found room 11, and fetched the key out of her purse. It was a long, beautiful, antique iron key with a heavily detailed handle. She slid it into the keyhole and opened the door. Before her was a quaint room, just as the man at the front desk has described. She put her bags in the corner, and stripped out of her soaked cloths and rain jacket. She headed for the shower.   
  
Finished her shower, wrapped a towel around her body, and exited the alabaster bathroom to get to her bag of clothes. She did not expect to see a girl, no more than nineteen, with short dark red hair covering her eyes, sitting pleasantly on her bed with a smile.

Luna froze, wet feet on the carpet, mouth ajar. After a moment, Luna managed to find words, “Uh… Hello?”  
  
“Hi,” the girl replied jovially with a wave.  
  
Forcing down some of the anger and vulnerability Luna felt at being caught in this situation naked, she began politely, “There must be some mistake – perhaps I forgot to lock the door. But this is my room.”  
  
The girl almost seemed to ignore her comment, instead extending an outreached hand, “I’m Shireen.”

“Shireen,” a little hostility entered Luna’s voice, “I think you’re in the wrong room.”

The girl’s form twitched in an aggressive sort of way. “I think you’re in the wrong room.” She rose from the bedside in a quick but fluid motion. And that’s when Luna’s brain spiked with worry. SOMETHING about that motion made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Luna continued to watch as she approached, frozen in place by the same feeling that made her want to run.   
  
While she was frozen watching, she began to notice small things. Shireen’s hair seemed to blow, but there wasn’t any wind in the room. Her body seemed to glow and move inhumanly. And if you looked hard enough, the edges of her body seemed mildly transparent. But it was her eyes that made all the puzzle pieces fall into place for Luna. Once visible her eyes were a glazed white.

The girl reached Luna and stood nose-to-nose with her. A cold chill licked at Luna’s skin. And Luna laughed.   
  
This seemed to catch Shireen off guard, and the girl pulled back ever so slightly from the young woman.   
  
“You’re an actual ghost,” managed Luna through choked laughter. “A real life ghost!”

Shireen looked confused. “This is not typically the reaction that happens when people see me.”  
  
“You misunderstand,” Luna said between breaths. Her laughter was finally getting under control. “I’m cursed. And so, for my whole life I’ve believed magic and stuff was real. But there was always a nagging part that told me: you’re just a crazy – it is all in your head,” She giggled once before continuing, “But now I’ve seen a ghost. Definite proof. While I _believed_ before, now I _know_.”  
  
Luna continued to laugh, and Shireen just stood confused near by. When her laughter died out, Luna righted herself and took a deep breath. “Shireen – that is your name, wasn’t it?”

The red headed girl nodded.

“Thank you,” Luna continued, “Thank you for solidifying for me that it is all real.”   
  
Shireen’s eyebrow raised questioningly, not sure of where this was going.

“Let’s start over,” Luna replied. “I’m Luna!” She made a short waving motion, quick and full of energy before continuing, “I’d shake your hand, but I’m cursed, and I don’t know if that could affect you – even in the afterlife.” She smiled, “So a wave will have to do.”

The younger girl made an unpleasant face, “You know,” she started in an almost annoyed tone, “I didn’t get in this situation by treading carefully.” A mischievous smile spread across her ghostly features, and before Luna could react, Shireen had reached across the gap between them and shook Luna’s hand.   
  
Luna looked mortified over at Shireen. She glanced at her hand in horror, before turning her gaze back to Shireen. From Shireen’s perspective, Luna remained unmoving, watching her, frozen.

And nothing happened.

A few minutes later, nothing still happened.

Luna looked over her hand in confusion, and then back at Shireen. “Are you ok? Do you feel funny? Anything?”

Shireen seemed to contemplate this for a second, before shaking her head, “No. I feel fine. Other than being dead.” She giggled, “Guess your mojo doesn’t work on me cursed girl.”

“My name is Luna,” the young woman corrected. Although her voice didn’t have any persuasion behind it. Maybe thirty seconds later Luna seemed to slip out of her stupor. “This is an odd question,” she began. “I’ve never known someone who wasn’t hurt by me before.” Her fingers twiddled around each other, “Do you possibly want to be friends?”

Shireen wanted to laugh at the girl. _**Be friends? Who talks like that**_? But another part stopped her from responding sarcastically. A simple nagging feeling at the back of her mind that reminded her that it _had_ been _sooo_ long since she’d had someone to talk to. Shireen hadn’t had a friend for a long time. Not since – she pushed those memories aside. There are some things that are better left in the past. “You’re weird,” she finally said.

Luna’s features seemed to stiffen and drop in disappointment.

“But I like you.”

And Luna smiled. Her facial muscles hurt. Smiling wasn’t something she did. But her smile at that moment could have lit up an entire room.

A similarly warm feeling rose in Shireen. But with it, an underlying sense of guilt followed. She chose to push it away and focus on this new feeling. A friend.

* * *

Alex was practically dead on his feet. His shift was about to be over, and the woman who normally worked the front desk would be arriving soon. He heard footsteps approaching, and shook himself from his dreariness.

Luna approached. She looked terribly tired, and upon seeing her Alex felt a sense of loss over a potential customer. “Checking out?” he asked.

“Yes,” Luna chirped.

Her cheeriness startled Alex. He ventured to ask, “Sleep well?” Even-though, clearly, she had not.

“Not really,” Luna replied, “I was up late talking to a friend. But I did enjoy my stay.”

Alex’s ears pricked up at that.

“If I’m in the area, and would like to book a hotel, how can I go about making a reservation?” She smiled playfully, “You know, since after what you told me about the electrical issues, I’d be surprised if you all had a website.”

Alex nodded, and reached for a drawer of his desk. He pulled out a business card. “Our phone number is here,” he said, trying to hide his amazement. “We’d love to have you back.”

She smiled, carefully plucked the card from his hand, and turned to leave the hotel.

* * *

The next day Alex was returning the kitchen supply room after taking inventory, clipboard in hand, when he passed by the levitating apparition of Shireen. “Hey Shireen,” he greeted her with looking away from his inventory list.

“Alex,” she replied, pausing for a moment.

The man stopped, sensing the hesitancy in her tone.

“There was a guest with wavy brown hair here last night,” she mumbled in a coaxing voice, “I was just wondering, -” her semi transparent finger twirled a strand of her dark red hair in an oddly-girlish gesture, “When she checked out – did she seem afraid at all?”

Alex’s eye brows knitted in confusion, “Afraid?” he repeated questioningly. His eyes narrowed, and his voice took on a rougher edge, “Shireen – you weren’t haunting guests again were you? I’ve had this discussion with you before. We can’t afford to be scaring off all our guests, we need the money.”

Shireen shrank back, looking nervous.

The hotel manager continued, “And if we fail to bring in enough money to keep this hotel afloat – It won’t be me asking you politely. It will be _**HIM**_.”

“I didn’t,” the girl stammered, but she couldn’t meet his eyes.

Alex breath hitched, and he remembered his interaction with the young woman, Luna, the morning before. His posture relaxed, and he fought down the apprehension and stress he struggled with daily as the sole manager of a decrepit hotel. Luna had left in very high spirits. She’d even mentioned possibly being a repeat customer. He’d lashed out at Shireen when she’d probably been behaving herself. “I’m sorry,” he exhaled finally. “That was uncalled for.” He turned to continue his walk down the hallway to the front entry way. “She was in a good mood when she left,” he told her as he walked, “She even took a business card and said she might come back.”

Shireen’s demeanor seemed to brighten slightly.

Lights flickered around Alex, and a moment later, Shireen’s cold presence was gone. The man stepped out of the hallway, and into the front entry. At the desk he’d occupied the day prior, sat a tall, lean young woman. She had reddish-brown eyes and black hair down to her shoulders. She was perched in a chair, doodling in a small sketch book. “Anne,” he greeted her. “Any problems today?” he asked casually.

Her dark eyes looked up from her sketch book and the sounds of pencil against paper ceased, “Quite the opposite actually.”

He stopped a foot away from the desk.

She continued, “A young woman actually stopped by. She dropped off a job application.” Anne rustled through some binders to find a crisp piece of paper. She handed it to Alex. “A certain Luna Mancuso.”

Alex took the paper frowning.

Anne suddenly looked concerned. “What’s wrong?” she asked.   
  
Alex groaned, “I was really hoping she would be a repeat customer. Money is really tight right now. But at this rate - we’ll end up paying her.”


	2. Chapter 2

A far off grandfather clock gave a booming chime that echoed and reverberated through the ancient hallways of the hotel Arcane-Emporium, indicating noon had arrived. Anne relaxed into the front desk concierge’s chair, legs tucked up under her. Final checkout had already happened, and noon began a two hour lull in hotel traffic, which allowed a bit of time for R&R. A smile slowly escaped onto her face, and her cheeks lit up red and bright. Before her, she watched a comical scene unfold. 

A large, human-sized spider sat on a comically small-proportioned stool. The spider, known as Arachne had eight legs - covered with threads, bits of cloth, and numerous spinals - scuttling furiously in all directions. Though her legs moved faster than any normal person could see, they all worked around a central point in front of the giant spider. There stood Arcane-Emporium’s newest hire, Luna Mancuso, arms extended outwards, and legs straight, like a gymnast on a balancing beam. 

“There!” Arachne exclaimed as she pulled away, her tiny stool tipping back dangerously.

Luna turned towards Anne, her face looking between the spider and the concierge. “How do I look?” 

She was wearing a billowy black knee-length dress with a white lace trim. A similarly white lace apron was wrapped around her waist and a lace hairpiece adorned her head. 

“Luna! You look so cute! Like one of those french maids on TV!” Anne’s voice pitched higher than normal.

The young woman looked at herself, and curtsied with her new dress. “If I’m going to be scrubbing toilets and making beds all day, looking good while doing it is definitely a plus.”

Arachne shuffled around beside her, before one long spider leg reached out and handed Luna a feather duster. “This,” began Arachne, “Is purely for aesthetic purposes.”

Luna beamed in reply and posed with her feather duster playfully. 

“Alright, alright,” said a new voice. The three others turned in the direction of the gentle chiding. 

The speaker descended down the staircase and came into closer view, his features still silhouetted by the window’s bright light behind him, but everyone recognized the voice, “The dress looks great Luna,” Alex spoke jovially before joking, “Now off you go. Rooms to clean! We only have you part-time after all.” 

Still in a pleasant mood, Luna nodded, and hurried to the hallway before stopping. “Ummm...” she muttered, “Where is the housekeeping room again?”

“Down that hall, on the left,” Alex and Anne both chimed simultaneously.

Without another word Luna headed off, a skip in her step, and a hum in her voice.

Alex turned towards the others. “Any problems so far with her Anne?” he asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in Luna to be a hard worker, more so he was questioning Anne about the Arcane-Emporium’s steep learning curve. The Arcane-Emporium was by any definition a Haunted Hotel. Some things contained in these walls would drive any regular person mad if they weren’t the wiser to the supernatural. Most of the time the hotel behaved itself. But every now and then, the things within these walls showed their teeth. And when it did, guests were understandably put off, to put it mildly.

“She’s actually handling this like a champ,” Anne replied. “I thought she’d faint when she met Arachne,” She turned briefly towards the giant spider and muttering softly “No offense Arachne.”

“None taken,” replied the Arachne shortly.

Anne returned Alex’s gaze, “But she didn’t. She just sort of paused for a moment, took it all in, and they got along great. A tiny bit of fear when Arachne got really close to take the dress measurements, but she got over it very quickly.” Anne’s gaze wandered off to the side and her features darkened, “Alex, how much do you know about this woman? Her reactions weren’t normal.”

Alex shook his head in reply, “To be honest, not much.” He sighed audibly, “But it has been difficult since Meredith left.” 

Anne nodded, “Yes, it has, Arachne’s been having to cover some of the housekeeping shifts, and I know you have even though you never tell us. Not to mention Variam.”

Alex grumbled in reply. “It is the oddest thing, everything seemed fine, and then one day she was gone. Didn’t even take her personal belonging with her,” he said almost to himself. “I have this nagging feeling we’re going to see her soon. That’s part of the reason I was so hesitant to hire.”

Anne cocked an eyebrow, “Another one of your ‘feelings?’” she said without a trace of sarcasm.

“Yeah,” He muttered, “It’s odd, I’m not usually wrong. But this time… ” His voice trailed off. “By the way, Anne, Arachne, did any of you all warn her about Tobruk yet?”

Both of them shook their heads no. 

Alex slapped a hand over his forehead, rubbing his temples, and sighed again. “Nothing is ever simple.” He turned back towards the staircase. “Well, I’ll go tell her -”

Suddenly, the front entry way door slammed open. Arachne zipped straight upwards, faster than the human eye could track. Anne jolted in place, and straightened out her posture to a more professionally appropriate position. Alex’s gaze didn’t so much follow Arachne’s departure path, as he looked upwards into the place he knew she’d be. She hid cleverly in the darkness of one of the ceiling's support beams. Nervously he returned his gaze back down to the entry way. 

Light shone brightly into the hotel from the outside, and it was probably that abrupt change from light to dark that kept Arachne’s jerky departure from being noticed by the new guests. 

Alex stepped out into the foyer’s light beams, “Hi, welcome to the Arcane-Emporium,” he greeted the new arrivals. There were two of them; one was big, bulky, and built like a body builder. The other was smaller and younger, but similarly as fit as his companion. The second had his arms full balancing a camera on one shoulder, a backpack on his back, and two additional bags slung over his other shoulder. The two men stepped in to the entry-way. 

“Hi,” the first introduced himself, “I’m Cinder.” 

From the concierge desk, came a muffled fast intake of air. Alex’s eye twitched in response, darting to look in his peripheral vision, before returning his attention back to the man before him, who was still making introductions. 

“I’m a movie director. You might recognize me from such films as ‘Paragon Burning’ or ‘Flame Station’,” Without waiting for recognition, he turned to his companion, “And this is Kyle. He’s got a real magical talent when it comes to carrying cameras and filming action cinematography.” The man, Cinder, coughed, and licked his lips, almost as if he wasn’t accustomed to talking so much, “Forgive me, but an associate of mine told me about this place, and I was interested in filming our newest movie here. Could you direct me to someone I can talk to about this?”

“I’m the general manager, so you’re speaking to the right person,” said Alex in his customer friendly tone. “However, let me run this by the owner just to be sure. After all, this is a very specific request.”

Cinder nodded as much as his thick neck would allow him. “I’d appreciate it.”

Alex walked off towards the stairs, fishing his mobile out of his back pocket. He dialed some numbers, and Anne’s gaze followed his form until he was out of sight. 

Kyle set down his luggage, and turned his attention to Anne, giving a small wave and a smile in her direction. In response she gave a tiny half-wave back. It was at that moment that Luna ventured into view, dressed in her outfit and pushing her housekeeping cart. Kyle’s eyes caught her movement, and when he saw her his jaw dropped. She slipped away a moment later. “Cinder, we absolutely need to film here. Even the housekeepers are wearing,” his whispered voice jumbled, looking for an appropriate word, “Period pieces.”

Cinder shot him a heavy glare.

“Seriously,” Kyle continued, “Look around, Deleo was right. This place looks the part, and the lights don’t look like they’ve been updated in ages.” Kyle continued to ramble, and Cinder remained close-lipped, but still paying attention to his companion. 

It was Anne who finally interrupted their quiet whispering, “Excuse me.”

The two looked up at her. 

Head dipped down, not making eye contact, and her form humble and unassuming, she asked, “Exactly, what kind of movie are you all making?”

Cinder remained quiet, but his companion stepped forward, waving his fingers in an arc motion and pitched his voice higher, “A horror film.”

Cinder nodded in agreement, before returning his gaze to the direction Alex had walked off towards.

“A horror film,” repeated Anne, “But -,” her voice dipped for a second, and she rested her chin on her knuckles pensively, “Aren’t you all known for action movies with big explosions?” She fidgeted and leaned back, tapping her two index fingers together in a distracted motion.

Kyle, the talker of the two, “Well,” he started, “Usually yes. We wanted to try something a little different though, this time.” He looked back at Cinder.

“There will still be explosions. It isn’t a complete departure from form.” His voice lowered, “But please don’t tell that to anyone Miss.” A small smile cracked his features, “Spoilers.”

Anne nodded energetically, “Of course.”

Louder and louder footsteps signaled the general manager’s return. He pocketed the mobile, and talked to his guests. 

Anne overheard a little of the conversation, but her attention was drawn away by yet another new arrival. Well, it was more accurate to describe the guest as a semi-regular. She distinctly remembered having seen him in the Arcane-Emporium’s hallways months prior. The guest was a rather tall mid thirties man with a beard and dark glasses. She greeted him warmly, but his response was minimal and border-line rude. He didn’t talk except minimally to convey name and number. Regardless, she checked him in. When that was done, she turned around and handed him the key to room 5. He smiled, and something about it made Anne’s skin crawl. Without needing instruction, he headed off towards the first level’s rooms. 

Finally unoccupied, she turned her attention back to the hotel’s rather high profile guests. The conversation was over, but she caught Alex and Cinder shaking hands firmly. She felt a surge of delight at the thought of a movie being shot on premise by a pair of her favorite directors. It was going to be a swift departure from the normal routine of the hotel. 

The three men walked over to her desk. “Give them the suite,” said Alex curtly. 

She took their information and checked in Cinder and Kyle, and handed them a numberless key. It was more detailed than all the other hotel keys, and it unlocked the most extravagant of their rooms. The ‘Suite’ as they called it was a room that took up a whole floor, and was physically the highest room a person could rent from the Arcane-Emporium. The only thing higher was ‘The Penthouse’, a place where HE stayed when HE was in town. Anne pushed dark thoughts away and focused on her guests, “Enjoy your stay!” she cheered, “If you need anything, just ask. Someone should always be down here who can help you.”

Kyle smiled flirtatiously, “I’ll do that! Thanks -” he made a hand motion urging her to fill in his pause. 

“Anne,” and replied, mirroring his smile with her own. “Nice to meet you.”

The two shuffled off to find their room, while Anne, Alex, and from somewhere in the rafters, Arachne watched them go. When the guests had disappeared, the giant spider descended and spoke, “I’m surprised the owner allowed that.” 

“We need the money,” Alex expressed seriously, “But I’m just as shocked as you are. The owner seems to consider this an opportunity to grab more business.”

“But wont advertising a haunted hotel as a haunted hotel be a bad PR move?” Asked Anne almost to herself.

“I don’t pretend to know how He thinks,” spat Alex and irritation spread across his face, “He’s informed me in the past that I need to ‘look at the big picture’. Most of the time I can’t see his angle. However, the owner’s current plan, might just be crazy enough to work. If it doesn’t, it will probably sink us.” 

Arachne tapped her long leg to one of her fangs in an almost contemplating movement, “If – I mean when the hotel starts to act up, how are we going to handle the fall out?”

“The owner,” replied Alex, “Is having a very direct conversation with Tobruk and Shireen at this very moment.” Alex closed his eyes tiredly, “I have faith that conversation will prevent the worst possible outcome.” He shifted his weight around before continuing, “At the owner’s behest, I’ve also informed them that we do ‘pretend’ to be a haunted house so we have a number of animatronics, flickering lights, and light-projection technology motion triggered around the hotel. That should keep suspicion off of us for the duration of their stay.” 

“And, how long ARE they staying for Alex?” asked the spider.

“Seven days,” He replied already sounding exhausted, “We only have to get through seven days.”

Anne brightened as she had a particular thought, “If Tobruk and Shireen are going to be on their best behavior – Luna might not be scared off immediately – and may actually keep this job.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally supposed to be a very episodic story, where each chapter was self contained.   
But I drew out the plot points for the whole thing and what I've realized is that it will work a lot better to stick with a blend of episodic and continuing story-to-story plots.   
There are going to be 6 chapters. Hopefully I'll get to writing them all.


	3. Chapter 3

For the first time in a long time, the haunted hotel known as the Arcane-Emporium seemed anything but haunted. Tall dark draperies had been pulled back, letting blinding beams of light inside. The air seemed unusually less stuffy. The foyer was filled with the unnatural sight of bustling people: camera men, go-fors, beautiful actors, and strong men carrying messy bundles of cabling. The entryway was practically overflowing with camera equipment and suitcases.

Both Anne and Alex worked the front desk checking in an ever growing line of people. Anne, who worked the morning shift, was relieved to have the help; although she couldn’t help wonder about Alex’s health. He’d just worked the night shift, and the bags under his eyes, and the sweat on his brow telegraphed just how exhausted he was.

Alex was moving as fast as he could. The check-in process was moving fast. Well, as fast as any check-in process could go when every customer was paying with credit card in a building that barely had dial up. Some time ago, he’d finally managed to hit a rhythm with Anne. He would take down all relevant guest information in the registry, during which she would place a hold on the prior guest’s credit card and hand them a key. Alex wondered if they’d have enough vacancies to host the entire cast and crew.

* * *

In another part of the hotel, Arcane-Emporium’s resident chef worked tirelessly. He sped between the kitchen and the dining room with energy and focus. On the buffet table sat five full size stainless steel chafers, holding his morning’s work. Each held a different warm breakfast food, kept warm by two small flames underneath. Eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, and an assortment of grilled vegetables were placed next to an assortment of coffee, tea, and orange juice. Cast and crew swamped the table like a hoard of locusts. A satisfied smile shown on the chef’s face.

The chef’s name was Variam Singh. He was a young man, who had joined the hotel’s staff at about the same time as Anne. He refilled another round of eggs, and rushed back into the kitchen to check on the next batch of sausages. It wasn’t the safest setup, but the hotel couldn’t afford to hire a sous chef, so his current modus-operendi would have to do. Variam winced as he caught sight of the next round of sizzling bacon. It was a little more singed than he’d hoped. He took the bacon off the grill, and placed it quickly into a metal bin for easy refill later.

He was turning the sausages when he caught sight of something moving in his peripheral. He quirked an eyebrow at a creature that would have scared most human beings. But Variam had been employed by the Arcane-Emporium long enough to not be phased by what he saw. Before him stood the menacing figure of Tobruk, the hotel’s resident poltergeist, with enough supernatural power to affect the real world violently. Variam made slow controlled movements, and turned his full attention to the ghost, inclining his head questioningly.

The chef expected Tobruk to have his usual expression of bloodthirsty glee. But instead the chef’s eyes registered a stoic yet mildly irritated poltergeist.

“**_He_** will be coming down soon.”

Variam gulped audibly.

“In fifteen minutes time he expects you to be ready in the dining alcove to take orders. Two guests are expected.”

And without loud threats, violence, or airborne projectiles, Tobruk turned a transparent shoulder, and disappeared through a wall.

Variam felt light headed. **_He was coming down here? _**Suddenly the way the sausages looked didn’t seem as important as before. He took them off the grill, put them in a pan, covered it, and set it aside to refill shortly.

* * *

Alex was frozen, unable to look away from the man descending the stairway. The approaching man was anything unlike what his unremarkable appearance suggested. He had brown hair which fell over dark eyes, and was seemingly average in both height and weight. His choice in apparel was neither obviously cheap nor expensive, and today he donned a gray dress shirt and black business slacks. While his appearance should not have drawn attention, his presence was unmistakable. He held himself with an air of authority, and his gaze moved deliberately to meet Alex’s gaze.

For Alex, time seemed to slow, and the busyness of the many hotel guests seemed to fade into the background. The man meeting his gaze was Richard Drakh. He was the hotel’s owner, and like the Arcane-Emporium, he held many secrets. An unease withered in Alex’s stomach, and he was the first to break eye contact, returning with a jolt to his desk duties.

Alex had worked at the Arcane-Emporium since his teens. A young boy with misplaced anger and unexplainable ability similar to precognizance. When Alex had shown up on the hotel’s doorstep, Richard hadn’t asked questions. He’d brought him on board as an employee, and in exchange for the boy’s work, Richard paid him under the table - and sometimes paid him with knowledge. The young Alex had reveled in his newfound freedom without consequence. Back then there had been others like him. The vibrant and youthful Shireen, the quiet Rachel, and another who had never quite left, Tobruk. Together they worked, played, and learned all within the hotel. Uncovering and theorizing about its secrets and supernatural oddities. Harmless thoughts. Nefarious thoughts. Little festering observations like how the hotel’s owner never seemed to age through Alex’s 15 years of employment.

Richard Drakh was a man who commanded respect. And during Alex’s tenure, he’d learned first hand what happened to those who disappointed him.

Through furtive glances, Alex saw Richard engage the movie director, Cinder, in what appeared to be casual conversation. A lazy, satisfied smile stretched across Richard’s face. A few moments later Kyle appeared, hands full of camera gear. Nothing of interest appeared to be happening, and Alex tried to turn his exhausted mind back to the task at hand, - checking in, what appeared to be, the final guests.

“There are so many people here,” muttered Anne under her breath. “All this enthusiasm and rushing around really brings a new liveliness to this place.”

Alex nodded in agreement.

She smiled back, “It doesn’t seem so dark anymore.”

Alex gave a sigh of relief as he signed the last person into the registry, and stretched his back, working out the tortured muscles that had been bent in the same position for hours.

“Well,” he chirped in Anne’s direction, “I leave the front desk duties to you. I’m long overdue for some sleep.”

As he headed towards his personal quarters within the hotel, he passed Richard leading the two men, Cinder and Kyle, down the stairs.

“Gentlemen,” he said politely, “This is a conversation best had over some breakfast. Wouldn’t you say?”

The Director and the cinematographer followed the owner into a more private alcove of the dining room. Variam was alert and ready to greet them, and Richard made introductions and smiled to himself. With any luck, he felt these two guests would help bring Arcane-Emporium into the modern century and further his plans to move against Luxury Towers corporate hotel chain.


	4. Chapter 4

Anne’s back stood straight as she forcibly refrained from eagerly leaning over the Arcane-Emporium’s front desk to get a better view. Filming had commenced. Within the very hotel she worked, the wold renowned Cinder was directing his next film venture. Earlier when the sun had just begun to rise, they’d shot some footage of the old hotel’s stairs, entry way, and a few hallways. Kyle had come by Anne to both show off some of his shots and try to sweet talk her. The slow panning footage somehow made the hotel taller and bigger than what Anne was use to. His technique also brought out the unusually detailed architecture that she had taken for granted. The way the first morning rays of light made the walls and floor look ethereal thralled her.   
  
“This is beautiful.” she muttered almost to herself, as she raised her eyes to meet Kyle’s. “It looks so -” she struggled for the word.

“Haunting,” he supplied, his thoughts momentarily lost in the footage. “Yeah, this whole place is gorgeous when you take the time to really look at it. Deleo was right in recommending this place.” He clicked a button on the camera, and the next slow pan over began to play. “The place really does all the heavy lifting. I just point my camera at the right time, and with the right light.”

Anne nodded, hanging on to every word. Then, she nearly jumped when she saw one of Arachne’s legs ever so slightly visible in one of the shots. The bell boy was an honest to god giant spider. And for the duration of filming, she’d been asked to hide away. But it seemed, as much as Arachne historically followed the rules, even she had been too curious to completely stay away.

“Hey,” asked Kyle in a nervous tone, “I don’t really know how to ask this, but -how would you like to be in the movie?”

Anne’s eyes lit up.  
  
Kyle ran his hands through his hair in an awkward gesture. “That outfit your friend was wearing yesterday, the detailed classical french maid one, if you had one of those, I think the two of you would really add some atmosphere to the ‘haunted hotel’ vibe we’re going for.” He started stumbling over his words, “I mean obviously, the makeup team would have to make you look a little spooky. But those outfits are so perfect.” He raised his eyes to meet Anne’s, “And to have a gorgeous woman wearing that on camera. I would be a fool not to ask.”

Suddenly a meaty hand clamped down hard on Kyle’s shoulder. “Smooth,” Cinder’s voice chided. “Miss, I’m so sorry if Kyle was bothering you,” he said steering his colleague away. “Common sense isn’t something he exercises often enough.”

Anne’s agape mouth held for a moment before words came to her. “Kyle,” she started, and both men turned to look at her. “I would love the opportunity.”

Cinder looked at Kyle inexplicably and Kyle smiled from ear to ear. “Glad to hear it!”

Anne did not have a housekeeping outfit of her own, so she rung Arachne’s special quarters, asking excitedly if the spinstress spider could make her one.   
  
Hours later, Anne was marveling at her dress and Luna was oogling over the fact that the two of them had matching outfits. A sleep deprived Alex sat near, smiling at the two of them having fun. He was prepared to be on desk duty while the two girls were on set. Kyle came by, exuding confidence from every pore on his body, and whisked the girls off to the current set. Alex watched them go, and settled down in his chair, willing himself reluctantly to stay awake.

The makeup artists were the girls’ first stop. They powdered both Anne and Luna’s faces to a noticeably paler tone, and went heavy on the eye makeup. By the time the makeup department was done, the two didn’t look “scary” per say, but they blended in more with the hotel’s naturally chilling atmosphere.

Kyle worked the camera, and took some test footage, showing the two what worked on camera and what didn’t.   
  
Cinder would come over every once and a while and made quiet comments to his cinematographer, motioning at the two girls. Kyle would nod in reply, and then direct the girls on how to do another scene.

They took footage of the two individually pushing the housekeeping cart down the hall in slow deliberate motions, walking in tandem down hallways, a close up of Luna’s hand scraping at the walls, Anne deliberately blowing out a candle. They had to reshoot some scenes several times. Sometimes the placement of people within the scene just wasn’t right, other times reshoots were caused by interruptions. The tall, semi-regular, bearded man with glasses, staying in room 5, was one such interruption. He didn't appear to be fond of cameras, and steered (according to Anne) the latest in his long line of girlfriends away from the camera’s line of sight.

Anne’s favorite part was the elevator scene. Kyle filmed the two girls stand side by side, housekeeping cart front and center between them, their heads pointed downwards, eyes shadowed by long hair. He took footage of the two unmoving as the elevator doors opened and closed.

When Cinder personally approached them, hand outstretched, and thanked them for their help, Anne’s heart pumped wildly, an excited fan overwhelmed with meeting the creator. Exhausted after the many takes and retakes, the pair left down the staircase, and Anne changed into her more natural work cloths.

As much as she loved being filmed in a real movie, the guilt of waking up Alex to cover her shift was eating at her. So when she arrived at the front desk, the scene before her actually brought her some measure of relief.

Most traces of tiredness were gone from Alex’s face. It was replaced by an alert and focused gaze. His body language was only betrayed by the bags under his eyes and the unkempt angle of his hair. In front of him lounged health and building-code inspector, Morden. Normally the ‘health inspector’ and ‘building-code inspector’ were two entirely separate jobs. But, for anyone operating a less than stellar business within the city, Morden was the man to know to get passing results in both regards. The owner and Morden had a long relationship that predated Anne, and according to Alex, predated him. And as positive and long lasting as that relationship was, the employees of Arcane-Emporium were always on their best behavior and never crossed Morden, even in jest.

“Not a personal visit today?” Asked Alex. Sometimes the inspector had been known to visit the owner, beyond just business.   
  
“I’m afraid not,” the older man replied. “Business as usual.”

Alex handed him a simple envelope and Morden’s eyes sparkled. The envelope was filled with hush money. They had a simple agreement. Morden was paid a lump sum periodically, and in return the Arcane-Emporium would pass all inspections from a paperwork standpoint. Between the faulty wiring, and the less than up to code construction, without Morden, the hotel would be shut down within a month. However, it was worth noting, that since Variam had been brought on board, surprisingly, the kitchen had come up to code.   
  
Once, on one of Morden’s more show-offy visits, he’d stumbled upon the kitchen and dining room. According to Alex, it was the only time he’d ever seen the man’s cold bravado slip into actual surprise. He’d walked out, shaking his head in confusion, muttering, “That’s actually passable.”

The money filled envelope left Alex’s fingers, and Morden smiled, opening it, and counting every note. “It is always the exact amount, Verus.”

“And yet you always check,” spoke the young manager, careful to not put any emotion behind his words.”

Morden chuckled in reply, “You’re a good worker Verus, maybe one day you’ll consider working for me? It is always difficult to find competent help.”

Alex didn’t move in reply. He didn’t even twitch.

“I’ve got to say,” Morden’s features shifted to disgust, “I don’t approve of filming here. It is unprofessional to have guests inconvenienced so heavily by the sheer volume of people on set.” His face fell back into his neutral position, “Give my regards to the owner for me.”

The hotel manager uttered an affirmative, and watched the older man go.

When the door closed behind him, Anne approached the front desk. “Hey Alex,” she said under her breath. “Thanks for taking over my shift, especially since it has been for two nights in a row.” Her eyes were angled at the ground, unable to make eye contact.

“That’s alright. It all worked out. You would have needed to wake me anyways when Morden came.”

Anne rounded the front desk, and traded seats with the exhausted looking man. “Get some sleep Alex. I’ll handle things from here.”

* * *

It was mid afternoon, and Luna had finished the majority of the day’s housekeeping chores. Because of this, she’d spent her free time at the front desk chatting with one of her new friends Anne. The two women were excitedly discussing their budding acting careers and sharing theories about the film.  
  
They were drawn from their leisure when a recognizable friendly face made an appearance. Luna’s expression was blank, but Anne recognized the stranger in an instant.

“Coatl!” she exclaimed, her voice pitched higher than normal.

“Hey there, Anne,” He replied with a smile that touched his eyes. “Still keeping this old place up and running, I see.”

She smiled in reply.

His eyes turned and fell upon the other figure in the room, Luna, but he spoke to Anne, “Anne, who is the new girl?”

“Oh,” Anne exclaimed. “Let me make introductions.” She motioned to Luna, “This is Luna, our latest hire.” Then she motioned to the man, “And this is Coatl, my absolute favorite hotel guest.”

Coatl cocked his head with a grin, “Somehow I just keep finding myself coming back to this hotel. Certainly can’t get a better rate in this city. And the staff is just so wonderful.”

Anne beamed.

“So,” he said to Luna this time, “How are you handling all the supernatural stuff?”

Luna rocked back, like she’d been gut punched, her eyes widened, and her voice stuttered, “YOU KNOW?” she hissed out.

He laughed in reply. It was a warm and hearty laugh.

“Coatl has always been like that,” said Anne waving her hand in a casual motion, “He just knows things. Once he gave me a gift, on my birthday, and it was exactly what I wanted. No one had told him any of that information. He just seemed to know.”

“Family secrets,” Coatl chided, putting a lone finger in front of his lips, before winking in Luna’s direction.

“I guess,” Luna murmured, beginning to answer his earlier question, “I guess, pretty well overall. Blinking lights, big spiders, and ghosts are nothing I can’t handle.” She made a tiny tight fist to reinforce her point. “Besides, I’m sort of cursed. But I don’t feel so lonely here.”

Coatl’s pleasant smile seemed almost sad for a second. “I’m glad.” he replied before continuing, “It was lovely to meet you Luna. You seem like a wonderful person, I hope you will stick around.”

Luna felt confused, but tried to take his statement in a positive way, “Me too.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Coatl back tracked, “That sounded bad. I just meant people don’t tend to keep this job for a long time. Several people have left in the past – a young woman named Rachel, a kid named Sonder, -” he turned to Anne, “And I guess now Meredith?”

“We haven’t seen her in a while,” said Anne, “Left without a word to any of us.”

“Hmm…” muttered the man. “Odd.” After a brief pause, he spoke again, “Anyways, Anne, which room is available?”

“Ahhh-” Anne fumbled with the registration log before looking at the sparse key wall. “We’re a little short on rooms, but I’ve still got a few.” She handed him a key, “This one has a king sized bed.”

He plucked the key out of her hands, happiness plastered on his face. “You’re a miracle worker Anne.”

* * *

The hotel’s walls were not up to code, and thus, definitely not sound proof. A scream had woken Alex from his slumber, and his sleep deprived mind half wished Morden would shut this whole place down so that he could finally get some shut eye. The scream that had shaken him was followed up a few seconds later by the cry: “HOLY SHIT!” followed by: “DID YOU GET THAT?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU GOT THAT?!”

Alex flopped his heavy arm over his head. “It looks like they found Shireen,” he grumbled to himself. He turned his head a few degrees and stared at the room’s door angrily waiting. He anticipated someone coming down the hall to fetch him to deal with the fallout. He waited and waited and waited. But the heavy knocks he was so accustomed to, never came. At some point, he faded back into dreariness and dreamed of nothing.

* * *

Xiaofan was a young, aspiring actress. For her chosen career path, she was uncharacteristically meek and soft spoken. She wore thick, yet tasteful glasses that complemented her long dark hair. She didn’t know why Director Cinder had personally picked her, but she was grateful for the opportunity.

The film’s working name was ‘Candlewick’, and she was filming a scene true to its title. With a candle in hand, she wore a loose and semi transparent long-sleeved lacy gown. As she walked through the darkened hallways the candle flickered and the gown billowed around her. She was lost in her acting, barely noting the cameras that followed behind her. One hand cupped the flickering flame, the other held the candle steady. At most she could see an arms-length in front of her. The glow of the candle danced through her fingertips.

The sound of a slamming door sounded close in front of her, and she froze. “Who's there?” she called out. The sudden halt and her words completely deviated from the written script, but it seemed almost insignificant now. When no reply came, she willed herself forward, eyes wide with fear.

She felt something brush past her shoulder, and spun wildly, revealing a quickly moving bearded face. The unexpected stranger’s appearance unnerved her and she screamed, tears falling from her eyes. Perhaps it was the stranger’s abruptness, his toothy grin, the way his momentary gaze bored into hers; or perhaps it was something in his stride or just an effect of the dark, but Xiaofan felt something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her heart flutter in panic. She screamed once more, and collapsed, a sobbing mess.

Her breath came quick, and somehow she willed her way back into the present. She became angry when she noticed the cameraman Kyle still recording. In a huff of frustration, she swatted at the still rolling camera, and turned away to hide her face. Footage captured, Kyle drew away and motioned for some others on his camera crew to help her. She waved them away and pushed herself against the hallway wall. She focused on taking deep breaths, and rested her head on her bent knees.

The lights flickered on, and the two hotel employees, who had volunteered to perform some simple shots earlier that day, appeared at the stairs, out of breath.

“We heard screaming,” the pig-tailed employee gasped between gulps of air. “Is everyone okay?”

Kyle moved to intercept the two women. The pig-tailed woman drew back from him, but the other darted around his outstretched arms.

“Anne!” the pig-tailed employee called out to the other.

The young woman named Anne, came down to Xiaofan’s level. Her comforting hand touched her shoulder. “Just breathe,” she said softly. “Breathe,” she repeated.

Xiaofan focused on her breaths until she felt in control enough to raise her head. She met Anne’s eyes.

Anne’s face was contorted in worry, but when she saw the young actress meet her gaze, she relaxed and allowed herself to smile. “Hey,” she needled gently, “What happened?”

The actress shook her head as if she’d heard something nonsensical. “Just some jerk.” she laughed darkly. “I couldn’t see anything, and, -” her voice hiked, before her words rushed out: “He came out of _nowhere_!”

Anne gave one firm nod to signify she understood.

“He had a beard, - uh- moving fast,” she stammered, her voice questioning. “I really don’t know why I reacted the way I did!” She sounded like she was trying to explain or justify something to Anne.

“Well, he’s gone now,” replied Anne solidly. “He’s a regular.” she stated, “And I saw him heading in the opposite direction when we ran up here after we heard the scream,” she added for safe measure.

“I’m sorry,” Xiaofan pleaded. “I didn’t mean to cause this much of a disturbance.”

Anne smiled, the other woman now joined close at her side.   
  
“No need to apologize,” the newcomer replied with pep. “This hotel can be pretty scary sometimes.”

The actress nodded.

“After all,” the other girl continued, “That’s why they picked this place to film – right?”

* * *

Anne, Luna, Variam, and Alex were having a late dinner (for Alex, it was breakfast) in the tucked away corner of the dining area. Luna had excitedly shared about the many festivities of the day. From her acting, the explaining away of the Shireen spotting, to the young actress’ fright.

“That guy,” muttered Anne, “I don’t know what his deal is. He’s always coming in to this hotel with a different woman each time.”

Variam replied with a playful smile, “Now now, Anne,” he joked, “It is not our place to judge other people’s lifestyle choices.”

“He’s a paying regular,” replied Alex in a detached tone, brought on by lack of sleep.

Luna rolled her eyes in response.

Variam chuckled to himself, and picked at the remainder of his food, “I have to say,” he smiled, “The Arcane-Emporium hasn’t seen this much excitement since the Onyx-Pyre incident.”

Alex whipped his head in Variam’s direction. His eyes were wide, his face drawn and serious, and he seemed lost in a memory. “Just don’t,” he said softly.

Luna leaned in, careful not to accidentally touch any of the others at the table. “What is the Onyx-Pyre incident?” she asked curiously.

Alex shook his head and his shoulders sagged, “Nothing you need to worry yourself about. Needless to say, this is nothing like that incident.”

“Hey,” Luna pouted, “No fair. Come on! Tell me!”

“Boss says no,” chided Variam as he shook a finger in her direction.

“Don’t worry,” Anne reassured, “You will figure it all out eventually.”


End file.
